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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

While he has enjoyed serving in the state Senate and has accomplished more than most legislators in the past nine years, state Sen. John C. Rafferty Jr. said his dream job has always been Pennsylvania attorney general.

And when the last elected attorney general, Tom Corbett, stepped down in January to assume the office of governor, Rafferty couldn’t pass up the opportunity to seek the state’s top law enforcement office.

Rafferty, who represents parts of Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties in the state Senate, became the first Republican to announce his candidacy for Pennsylvania attorney general on Wednesday.

"I've been called 'the law enforcement guy' in the Senate if not in the whole General Assembly," Rafferty said in a telephone interview. "It's a logical step. I look at public service as a noble profession. I plan to run on my qualifications."

Rafferty said his background in private business, as a local government official, his work in the Philadelphia district attorney's office, three years as a deputy state attorney general and nine years in the Legislature put him ahead of all the other candidates.

"The key element to government is protection of public safety," Rafferty told The Associated Press in announcing his candidacy at the Harrisburg headquarters of the Pennsylvania State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Touting his record as a law-and-order legislator, Rafferty has already picked up endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania State Lodge, and the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association.

He anticipates receiving the endorsement of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association.

As attorney general, Rafferty said he would vigorously fight crime and use the grand jury system to prosecute cases involving sexual abuse of children, political corruption and Medicaid fraud.

Rafferty, 58, of Collegeville, said he intends to remain in the Legislature during the campaign for attorney general.

He is currently chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and formerly was chairman of the Law & Justice Committee, on which he continues to serve.

"I've enjoyed representing the 44th Senate District tremendously and have received a lot of support and encouragement from constituents to seek the office of attorney general," Rafferty said.

Rafferty has traveled across Pennsylvania since the beginning of the year seeking backing from Republican State Committee members.

He believes he can continue to be an effective legislator while spending time on the campaign trail.

"I'm not turning my back on my Senate work," Rafferty said.

Rafferty earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, his master's degree from Beaver College, and his law degree from Temple University.

Before his election to the state Senate in 2002, he spent three years as a deputy attorney general and served on the Montgomery County Board of Assessment Appeals, the Methacton School District board and the Lower Providence Board of Supervisors. He also spent nearly a decade as general manager of a recreation center.

Although he is clearly the front-runner, Rafferty may face competition for the GOP nomination in the April 24 primary.

If Rafferty can win the Republican nomination, he would be a heavy favorite to become the state's next attorney general. Republicans have won every contest for attorney general since it became an elective office in 1980.

Rafferty said the recent legislative redistricting process played no part in his decision to run for attorney general.

The borders of the 44th Senate District will change under the current plan under review, dropping Pottstown but adding Phoenixville and expanding into parts of Chester County and eastern Montgomery County.

If Rafferty wins the attorney general's office next November, a special election would be held to complete the remainder of his Senate term, which runs to the end of 2014.

The current attorney general is Linda Kelly, who was nominated by Corbett and confirmed by the state Senate to complete the remainder of Corbett's term, which runs to the end of 2012. Kelly agreed not to seek a full four-year term when she was confirmed.

The latest release of 5,000 emails from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU) reconfirms what the 2009's "Climategate" files established: Global warming is more fiction than science.

State Sen. John Rafferty, R-44th Dist., plans to announce Wednesday he will seek the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania Attorney General.

The announcement is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Pennsylvania State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, located at 2949 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA.

Rafferty is serving his third four-year term in the state Senate representing the 44th District, which stretches across Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties.

If he wins the race for attorney general next year, a special election will be held to complete the rest of Rafferty's state Senate term, which runs to the end of 2014.

Rafferty serves as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and is a member of Appropriations, Banking and Insurance, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, and Judiciary committees.

Before running for the Senate in 2002, Rafferty was an attorney in private practice, focusing on education, real estate, zoning and business and estates law.

Before that, he served as Deputy Attorney General for Pennsylvania from 1988 to 1991, where he he was responsible for the Criminal Law Division and Grand Jury Investigations.

Rafferty is the first Republican in the race, joining three announced Democrats: Kathleen Kane of Lackawanna County, former Congressman Patrick Murphy of Bucks County and Dan McCafferty of Montgomery County.

Since the attorney general's office became an elected position in 1980, no Democrat has won the office.

The current attorney general is Republican Linda Kelly, who was nominated by Gov. Tom Corbett to complete the final two years of his term after Corbett was elected governor in 2010. Honoring a "gentleman's agreement" in the state Senate, which had to confirm Kelly's appointment, she agreed not to seek a full term as attorney general.

"Barney Frank spent much of his career expanding the powers of and defending Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both of which have been involved in multi-billion-dollar scandals that helped enrich their corporate leaders, inflate a housing bubble until it burst, and spark the financial crisis. Even after watching Fannie and Freddie pay hundreds of millions of dollars in fines because of their corrupt practices, Frank left them untouched in the 'Dodd-Frank' financial regulatory bill that was supposed to address the causes of the financial crisis. Frank has been shameless in using Fannie and Freddie as social engineering and income redistribution tools. Unfortunately, Maxine Waters, who apparently will fill his slot as ranking member, has shown herself to be every bit as shameless."

Monday, November 28, 2011

Pennsylvania legislators will earn a base salary of $82,000 a year starting Dec. 1, thanks to a state law (passed by the Legislature) that gives lawmakers an annual cost-of-living-adjustment unless the very same lawmakers vote to reject the pay hike.

Some lawmakers give back the annual COLA be sending a check at the end of the year to the state Treasury. Others donate the money to charity (and claim a nice tax deduction for it, no doubt).

But what they don't tell their constituents is that the annual salary bump also increases the amount of money lawmakers will receive from their taxpayer-paid pensions when they leave the Legislature.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Mark Gillen (R-Berks) will host a Town Hall Forum on Thursday, Dec. 1, to facilitate a discussion between Met-Ed and constituents of the 128th Legislative District who lost power following the October snowstorm.

* The euro is unraveling and might dissolve the European Union, that product of transnational progressivism based on the belief that national sovereignty should be leeched away to clever experts who, uninhibited by the consent of the governed, can create clever things like the euro.

* In 2011, someone actually asked how an Amtrak employee with a $21,000 salary earned $149,000 in overtime.

* A week after Barack Obama cited an Ohio restaurant as a beneficiary of the Chrysler bailout, the restaurant closed.

The New Hampshire GOP primary isn't until Jan. 10, but the state's leading newspapers has already made up its mind on the best candidate.

Newt Gingrich is by no means the perfect candidate. But Republican primary voters too often make the mistake of preferring an unattainable ideal to the best candidate who is actually running. In this incredibly important election, that candidate is Newt Gingrich. He has the experience, the leadership qualities and the vision to lead this country in these trying times. He is worthy of your support on January 10.

Don't worry about a gift for your Pennsylvania state legislator. They've already decided to give themselves a 3% pay raise, effective Dec. 1, bringing their base salary to $82,000 a year - twice what the average Pennsylvania worker takes home.

The average Pennsylvania worker makes $43,000 a year, but state legislators will make a base salary of $82,000 after a Dec. 1 pay raise kicks in.

How do you feel about working so hard to keep the permanent political class in the lifestyle they've become accustomed to?

Every member of the state House and half the members of the state Senate will face re-election in 2012. Remember the pay raise when your incumbent state lawmaker comes around looking for your vote next year.

Friday, November 25, 2011

It's no wonder the public increasingly dislikes the Occupy crowd. Among their brilliant ideas is a campaign to encourage pampered students to default on college loans. Yeah, that'll win over Middle America.

The permanent political class in Pennsylvania is giving itself a 3% pay raise on Dec. 1, despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents are unemployed and millions are struggling to survive in a down economy.

The message coming out of Washington recently would lead one to believe that if we simply did away with tax deductions, we could provide a material reduction in our nation's deficit problem. Consider who would benefit from elimination of such deductions. Not the person volunteering at the local fire department or emergency services. Not the people benefiting from homeless shelters or food banks. Not the people who desperately need welfare support. Not the cultural community. In fact none of the services that provide quality of life in the community will benefit. Indeed, only government would benefit.

Healthy communities are like a three legged stools. The legs, government, business and community benefit must be balanced and strong in their own right, working collaboratively to perform their purpose. Tax deductions allow government to be less occupied by quality of life issues so that it can focus on the issues intended for government. Tax deductions incentivize citizens to support local community benefit projects that are critical in America’s design. Government thinks they know how to allocate our money better than us.

A Gallop USA Today Poll in April of this year tells us something about the support for charitable tax deduction. "78 percent of those who claim a charitable tax deduction and 62 percent who do not claim a charitable tax deduction are opposed to its elimination." Gallop points out that "the elimination is complicated by the high levels of opposition to eliminating tax deduction among those who do not personally benefit … a group that in theory could be supportive." The report further goes on to say that "72 percent of registered Democrats, 73 percent of registered Republicans and 65 percent of Independents are opposed to the elimination of the charitable tax deduction."

A radical change to the charity tax deduction will unbalance the system. My experience is that people are motivated by the request for contributions. Americans value the services provided by community benefit organizations. The tax deduction further incentives donors to stretch their gift. Eliminating or reducing charitable tax deductions is wrong thinking.

Joe Geiger is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations in Harrisburg. His email is Joe@pano.org. For more information, visit www.pano.org

Thanksgiving Proclamation of George WashingtonNew York, October 3, 1789

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks -- for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation -- for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war -- for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The Pottstown Mercury has launched its 21st annual Operation Holiday drive to help area needy families with small children. Through the generosity of Mercury readers, more than $50,000 in donations were raised last year, allowing the program to provide food and gifts for 252 families including 701 children.

The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday downgraded its estimate of the benefits of President Obama’s 2009 stimulus package, saying it may have sustained as few as 700,000 jobs at its peak last year and that over the long run it will actually be a net drag on the economy.

We are just past the halfway point between the last congressional election and the next one, and the conventional wisdom is that the upcoming election will be all about the economy. Elections during the Obama presidency, we are continually assured, are not about profligate federal spending, federal arrogance and irresponsibility, our colossal national debt, the consolidation of power and money at the expense of liberty, or the legislation that best encapsulates all of these: Obamacare.

The sound quality isn't the best, but it's a pretty good speech and did you notice there's no sign of a TelePrompter? A candidate who stands for something and speaks from the heart. Sam Rohrer is everything Bob Casey Jr. is not.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Speaking a recent forum in Bucks County on efforts to eliminate property taxes in Pennsylvania, David Baldinger of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations said 10,000 Pennsylvanians lost their homes last year because they couldn’t pay their taxes.

Few could deny that Cyprus is a beautiful country with a troubled and at times ugly past. But how many of us could vividly conjure the mood and hue of its golden age of yesteryear, before the conflict? Images of hardy men working the land, with sweat, pride and earth ingrained in their wrinkles.

After three years, the divisiveness in America is worse than ever. Political name calling has become a national disgrace. The economy is still very weak. Unemployment has risen to over 9 percent. The poor got poorer. His massive, mostly unsuccessful, spending programs have added over $4 trillion to our national debt. His supporters try to ignore these fundamental facts and blame his failure on everyone or everything else.

The national debt has surpassed $15 trillion and Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats still don't think we have a spending problem. Irresponsible politicians like these need to voted out of office.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Conservative Sam Rohrer, who served in the Pennsylvania Legislature for 18 years and ran for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania governor in 2010, plans to announce Monday he will run for a U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania in 2012.

The announcement is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, at the Governor's Ballroom of the Radisson Penn Harris in Camp Hill, Pa.

Rohrer, a leader of the state's conservative movement and tireless proponent of the elimination of Pennsylvania's onerous property tax, challenged Tom Corbett in the Republican gubernatorial primary last year.

While Corbett won the nomination and eventually was elected governor, Rohrer made a surprisingly strong showing considering the party establishment (and money) went mostly to Corbett. (Rohrer routed Corbett in Berks County by an 80%-20% margin, and Rohrer beat Corbett in Lancaster County by a 52%-48% margin).

Rohrer, who retired from the Legislature at the end of 2010 to take the post of state director for Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania, will run for the Senate seat held by first-term Democrat Bob Casey Jr., one of the most liberal members of the Senate and a close ally of President Obama.

Pennsylvania's other Senate seat is held by conservative Republican Pat Toomey.

Underemployment, a measure that combines the percentage of workers who are unemployed with the percentage working part time but wanting full-time work, is 18.2% - up from 17.5% a month ago. Underemployment stood at 17.7% in mid-November 2010.

Approximately 13,800 jobless Pennsylvania residents found work in October, helping to lower the state's unemployment rate from 8.3 percent to 8.1 percent, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.

More than 513,000 Pennsylvania residents are still looking for work, according to state figures.

The national unemployment rate remains at 9 percent as the Obama recession enters its third year.

Good news for Berks County residents. Under the leadership of Republicans Mark Scott and Christian Leinbach, taxes will remain steady for another year. Before the current Republican majority took control of the board four years ago, Democrats raised county taxes by 52% under Judy Schwank and Tom Gajewski.

Before the current sex abuse scandal that brought down legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, the last time I wrote about JoePa was in December 2007 when there was a controversy about keeping his salary secret. The Associated Press reported on Monday that Paterno is eligible for a $554,000 annual pension based on his most recent salary as PSU's head football coach.

Here's a look back at the 2007 column:

Why revealing Joe Paterno's salary is important

By Tony Phyrillas

Pennsylvania ranks 49 out of 50 states for having the worst open-records law in the country. The Paterno salary story, which made the front page of every newspaper in the state, should be a wake-up call to Pennsylvania residents.

The world now knows how much Joe Paterno makes as head football coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions.

My life hasn't changed one bit since I found out that Paterno earns $512,664 a year. I graduated from Penn State but it never occurred to me to ask how much Paterno made when I attended school in State College or in the years since I left Happy Valley.

I never gave any thought to Paterno's salary until I learned that a newspaper had been trying for five years to get the information.

Paterno's salary was one of the best-kept secrets in Pennsylvania, a state where keeping the public in the dark is one of the primary missions of government. Pennsylvania ranks 49 out of 50 states for having the worst open-records law in the country.

The State Employees' Retirement System released Paterno's salary a week after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that his salary and those of other top Penn State officials are public information.

How much the 80-year-old coach makes isn't as important as the fact that so many government and university officials worked so hard for so long to keep the information out of public sight.

The revelation that Paterno makes $512,000 was almost anti-climatic. Most people were under the impression that Paterno was making more than $1 million a year based on his longevity at Penn State and the success he has brought to the school's football program.

What a refreshing statement from a public figure in a state where greed has become the norm. Pennsylvania legislators, already among the highest paid in the country, voted themselves pay raises of 16 percent to 54 percent during a middle-of-the-night session on July 7, 2005. Gov. Ed Rendell signed the pay grab into law. It took a backlash from Pennsylvania residents to get the Legislature to rescind the pay raise.

And let's not compare Paterno's salary to that of some other coaches who run big-time football programs. Alabama's Nick Saban is the highest paid coach at $4 million per year. Oklahoma's Bob Stoops makes over $3 million. Florida's Urban Meyer, Ohio State's Jim Tressel and South Carolina's Steve Spurrier make $2 million annually.

Paterno, the second winningest college football coach of all time, is underpaid compared to other coaches. Paterno is Penn State. His value to the school cannot be measured in dollars and cents. And let's not forget that Paterno and his wife have donated $4 million to Penn State over the years.

I don't think anyone can argue that Paterno isn't worth every dollar Penn State pays him. The salary revelation should put renewed focus on the current debate in the Pennsylvania Legislature over open records.

The reason the Harrisburg Patriot-News had to fight so hard in the courts to get the salary information is because Pennsylvania law presumes that all government and quasi-government agencies are entitled to keep secrets.

The public, through newspapers and other media outlets, have to persuade courts that the information should be public. This presumption is backwards. The burden should be on the government to show why information associated with how it spends the public's money or conducts the public's business should be kept from the public.

Political commentator Lowman Henry has an interesting take on the Paterno salary disclosure:

"Why then would Penn State's power brokers fight so hard to keep such information confidential? In a word: arrogance. It has become apparent they simply believe, despite the fact PSU receives hundreds of millions of tax dollars each year, We The People have no right to know what they are doing with our money. Clearly the Paterno salary is not untoward, and the university is generally perceived as one of the finest in the nation. Why then the secrecy?"

The Paterno salary story, which made the front page of every newspaper in the state, should be a wake-up call to Pennsylvania residents. They need to be engaged in the current debate about revising the state's open-records laws. This is not about giving newspapers special access. This is about giving the people of Pennsylvania the right to know how their elected officials are conducting the people's business.

A vote on revisions to the open-records law could come any day now. Make sure your elected representatives know you're paying attention and will not tolerate any more secrecy.

Should a justice who participated in ObamaCare's creation recuse herself from the court's review of that law? Of course. But then a nominee who lies in confirmation hearings shouldn't be on the court anyway.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Pennsylvania State Rep. Mike Vereb, R-150th Dist., has written a letter to the chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court asking for a review of the low bail given to accused Penn State child abuser Jerry Sandusky by a district judge who had ties to the defendant.

"I've asked the chief justice to step in and stop this mockery of justice," Vereb told The Norristown Times Herald. "A number of reports indicate that this justice is a donor to the nonprofit, she attended social events of the nonprofit and she is a volunteer for The Second Mile. She arraigned him and gave him $100,000 unsecured bail, which means, he didn't have to put anything up."

For some reason, Barack Obama has decided that part of his path to re-election will involve blaming his failures on the American people, who can be insulted into loving him again. This narrative involves convincing us that the American spirit was so degenerate by 2008 that not even the dazzling skills of the LIghtworker could save us… at least, not in a mere four years.

EXETER — The Schuylkill River Greenway Association TrailKeepers and the Berks County Bicycle Club will hold a workday on the Thun Trail on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and are looking for help.

Volunteers will meet at the Trailhead at Angstat Road near the intersection of Route 724 and Route 176. Work to be done includes clean up from recent storms.

Rain date will be Nov. 20.

In the event of questionable weather or conditions, call Greg Marshall at 610-780-3195.

This op-ed published in the West Chester Daily Local News hits the nail on the head when it comes to liberal media bias:

"Please be cognizant of this reality: that most of the news you will be hearing and reading about will be filtered through the lenses of a deeply entrenched liberal media, not in the least constrained by normal inhibitions, and if there's nothing especially negative to report, you can expect something to appear from thin air by Democratic operatives and hatchetmen like Axelrod or Plouffe or Debbie Wasserman-Shultz or Gloria Allred, e.g., that Romney has a mistress sequestered in South America or has a love child in Switzerland and NBC, CBS, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, the N.Y. Times, the BBC, Time Magazine, etc., etc, all the major media outlets will go nuts (without the slightest vetting) -- you get the idea.

Prediction: The U.S. Supreme Court will rule 5-4 next spring that ObamaCare is unconstitutional. It should be a 5-3 vote Elena Kagan should recuse herself from the case, but won't because liberals have no ethics).

Barack Obama has increased the national debt by $4 trillion in just 3 years ... and what do we have to show for it? Record unemployment, record bankruptcies, record foreclosures, record bank failures, record poverty and a downgrade by S&P. How's that for hope and change?

State Sen. Judy Schwank and state Rep. Thomas R. Caltagirone are asking Berks County residents who lost power during or after the Oct. 29 snowstorm to call or write their offices and share their stories. The state lawmakers want to conduct hearings about the response by Met-Ed and PP&L.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

From a scathing column by Wayne Allyn Root about the decline of American culture:

Let's start with the obvious. Why aren't those educated college kids out protesting on behalf of the little boys who were allegedly sexually assaulted by a longtime Penn State assistant coach? Has America so lost its compass? These kids are in love with a coach because … he's a celebrity? Because he wins football games? Because he wins football games all else is forgiven? If someone is a celebrity, nothing else matters? We are lucky this isn't Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton involved in child rape. We'd almost certainly witness mobs burn Los Angeles to the ground to show their support for their favorite celeb-turned-child-rapist. A sad commentary on all that is wrong with America.

The key phrase on why Obama delayed the pipeline project until after the 2012 elections: "Some liberal donors have threatened to cut off contributions to Obama's re-election campaign if he approves the pipeline."

This sums up Obama's energy policy. Screw the American consumer. The only thing that matters is keeping me in power.

The West Chester Daily Local News is reporting that veteran state Rep. Curt Schroder, who was elected to Chester County's 155th House District seat in 1994, will not seek another term when his current two-year term ends next year.

Schroder is one of the best known and most popular politicians in Chester County and often runs unopposed for re-election.

"Eighteen years is a long time," Schroder told the newspaper. "I have reached the point where I feel I have just about given all I can to this position."

He told the newspaper he has no immediate plans for the future, but at age 50, you can bet Schroder will find something in the public arena to keep himself busy.

The 155th District is heavily Republican and the county GOP should have no trouble keeping the seat in Republican hands in 2012.

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Why Politics Matter

“Politics, the crooked timber of our communal lives, dominates everything because, in the end, everything – high and low and, most especially, high – lives or dies by politics. You can have the most advanced and efflorescent of cultures. Get your politics wrong, however, and everything stands to be swept away. This is not ancient history. This is Germany 1933.” –– Charles Krauthammer

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About Me

Tony A. Phyrillas is a leading conservative columnist, commentator and blogger based in Pennsylvania.
A veteran newspaperman with 33 years experience as a reporter, editor, photographer and columnist, Phyrillas received a first place award in 2010 for best column from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors and a first place award in 2007 for Best Opinion Column from Suburban Newspapers of America. He was recognized for column writing in 2007 by the Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter and in 2006 by the SPJ Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
Phyrillas is ranked among the most influential political bloggers in Pennsylvania by BlogNetNews.com.
Odyssey: The World of Greece magazine named Phyrillas one of the leading Greek-American bloggers in the world.
A Penn State University graduate, Phyrillas is the editor/content manager of The Mercury, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Pottstown, Pa.
Phyrillas made frequent appearances on talk radio and as a panelist on the "Journalists Roundtable" program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
He co-hosted a weekly radio program on WPAZ 1370 AM for 2 years.